Sleepless
by supernaturalbuffy
Summary: Man he was tired. Sam's was having nightmares, his deal was coming due in a few months and the only thing Dean can think about right now is trying to get some sleep or he was going to go crazy. Sort of tag to "Dream A Little Dream of Me". Slight Hurt!Dean
1. Chapter 1

SLEEPLESS

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit. Also, if anything seems familiar, I don't own it.

A/N: A little story that I've been holding onto for a while. I figured I owed you all a chapter for my other stories before I posted this one. But the good thing…this one is finished already. Yeah! So, I'll be posting a chapter probably each weekend while I work on my other stories as well.

Spoilers: Up through the Season 3 episode "Dream A Little Dream". I guess you might call this a tag to that episode maybe? But other than that…I don't think there's much.

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"You can't stop this." Dean sat by the window in their motel room looking out at the blackened parking lot, and even from across the room Sam could see that he was scared.

"You don't know that," Sam said defiantly knowing this argument by heart now but still railing against what he knew now was inevitable. "There's still time. Maybe we can-"

"Can what, Sam!?" Dean shouted finally turning to glare at Sam with angry eyes. "Find some kind of...of ward, or a spell?!"

Sam flinched at Dean's tone and let his eyes fall to the floor.

"You know as well as I do that none of that shit will work." His voice broke slightly on the last word and he had to swallow hard against the clog of emotions filling his throat. "Truth is…I'm screwed," he said with obvious defeat in his voice and that broke Sam's heart even more. To think that after everything there was nothing more to do just seemed so wrong. There was _always _something.

"Besides…it's too late," Dean whispered, his eyes having slid over to the digital clock sitting between their beds.

Sam's blood ran cold as he quickly whipped around to look at the clock with wide eyes and saw it flip over to midnight. "No," he whispered and turned back to meet Dean's eyes.

Dean just stood there with a sad look on his face as the sounds of howling dogs started to fill the night air. The door to the room started to shake with the force of the dogs trying to get in and they both could hear their claws scrape against the flimsy wood with a tearing scrape. Slowly turning to face the door, Sam could see that Dean was trembling slightly in fear even as he faced his fate head on.

"No!" Sam screamed trying to move to protect his brother from the hell hounds but found that he couldn't move. "No! Dean!"

The door burst open, the flimsy hinges flying off as the hell hounds bust through and then all was quiet for a second as man and beast stared each other down.

"Sammy?" Dean choked out, the quaver of fear obvious in the one word and then the hell hounds lunged with open jaws.

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"Sam! Sammy!" Dean was shaking his brother's shoulders trying to get him to wake up, but Sam just continued to thrash around and fight against Dean's hold as if Dean was trying to hold him down instead of wake him up. "Come on, Sam, wake up! It's just a nightmare!"

"_No!_ Dean!" Sam's eyes shot open and he bolted forward only to smash into something hard making stars pop behind his eyes.

"OW!" Both brothers said at the same time as they rebounded from where they had bonked heads.

Staggering back a few steps, Dean held a hand to his stinging forehead before landing heavily on the edge of his bed. "Damn it, Sam!" He pulled his hand back to look and make sure there wasn't any blood and then glowered at his brother who had fallen back on his own bed cradling his head in his hands. "Give a man some warning will you?!"

"Sorry," Sam finally managed to get out and then scrunched his eyes even more against the pain that little word caused to shoot through his head. _Man that hurt._

Dean frowned and gave an exacerbated huff of annoyance. "That's okay," he grumbled and then took a closer look to make sure the kid was alright. "You okay?"

"Fine."

The automatic response just made Dean roll his eyes and shake his head. He'd known that's what Sam would say even before he finished his question. After all it was their motto wasn't it? They could be bleeding to death and they'd still be fine.

After a moment more, Sam began to relax as the pain in his head began to fade a little and he let his hand fall away. "What happened?" he asked not looking at his brother.

"Do you mean before or _after_ you hit me in the head with that rock of yours?" Dean ground out as he got up to go get Sam a glass of water.

"What? Rock?" Sam asked clearly confused.

Dean stopped just outside the bathroom door and turned back to give Sam a funny look and then just shook his head and rolled his eyes again for good measure before turning back to the bathroom. As he headed into the bathroom, Sam thought for sure he was muttering something about little brothers and hard heads. "I take it you had another nightmare?" he called from inside the little room just before the water was turned on.

"Why do you think that?" Sam asked on guard as he tried to sit up again and winced slightly when his head gave a slight throb.

When Dean came back out a minute later with a glass of water and a cold washcloth, his face was a blank slate. "Oh, no reason, except for maybe the _screaming_ of my name."

Sam gave him a small smile as he took the washcloth and tentatively put it to his throbbing forehead.

After making sure Sam had it taken care of he sat back on his own bed. "And unless you're a girl having a really good time then… On second thought," Dean said thinking about what he just said and wishing he hadn't. "Don't answer that question. I _really_ didn't need that image sequence running through my head." He then shuddered slightly at the thought.

Sam frowned at him slightly and then his face screwed up in disgust. "Oh…dude! Are you _trying_ to give me more nightmares?"

Both brothers shuddered a second time trying to dispel the mental image then all was quiet again.

"So it _was_ a nightmare. Right?" Dean asked searching his little brother's face for the answer hoping that that was all it was.

"Yeah, I guess," Sam said softly lowering the washcloth to fiddle with its edges as Dean's face flashed through his mind as the hounds came for him. "At least, it didn't _feel_ like a vision…unless you count the throbbing pain from the impact afterwards." He couldn't help the small smile that crossed his lips at the jibe as he touched the washcloth to his forehead again.

"Ha ha, very funny." Dean said sarcastically before rubbing his own tender forehead again feeling the fading sting from the impact and thinking he was probably gonna have a bruise in the morning. _Great, just what I need. Another bruise. _"Do you want to talk about it?" Dean asked seriously knowing that Sam probably needed it.

"No, I'm good," Sam said and let the now warm washcloth fall away from his face. "Thanks for offering though. Seeing how you love those chick-flick moments."

"Hey…anything for you," Dean said getting the smile from Sam he was hoping for. "Get some sleep, Princess. You're scary when you don't get your beauty sleep."

"Jerk," Sam said pulling the covers back up.

"Bitch," Dean said with a little smile and got up and turned out the light again.

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Dean closed the door to the bathroom and then let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back against it wearily. Rubbing his hands across his face for a moment trying to wake up a little, he finally turned towards the shower wearily and just stared at it.

God he was tired. His eyes burned and itched with the need for sleep and his body just felt like every little movement hurt.

_Maybe a shower would help a little._

Quickly adjusting the knobs, he peeled off his clothes and slid behind the shower curtain. As the hot water hit his tense muscles, he groaned slightly and hung his head enjoying the feel of the pitter patter of the drops across his head and neck.

_Oh yeah. That feels good._

Leaning against the wall slightly and closing his eyes, he let the hard spray wash over his tense shoulders and down his tanned back helping to loosen those muscles as well.

Standing there, he let his mind wander slightly over everything that had happened lately and a small frown crossed his features. The closer they got to the time his deal was due, the more nightmares Sam was starting to have and quite frankly, Dean was worried.

He knew how hard his brother was pushing himself to try and find a way out of Dean's deal and at first hoped that Sam would just deal with it and be able to move on. But now…the barely eating or sleeping and the all night research sessions interspersed with hunts was starting to take its toll on his brother. And—not for the first time—he was afraid that if Sam continued this way for much longer, he wouldn't last until Dean's deal came due.

And there was no way in Hell that Dean was ever going to let that happen.

Dean gave a slight chuckle at that and shook his head.

Hell.

Before he had made his deal for his brother's life that word had never held much meaning, but since then...

Dean swallowed hard as images from his dream-walk through his own mind came back to him and he shuddered slightly at the thought. His own inky-black, soulless eyes staring back at him from his own blood-spattered face; and the fact that they had shown such hate and contempt made his blood run cold.

_"You're gonna go to Hell, Dean. And this...this is what you're going to become!"_

Dean snapped his eyes open with a start and realized that he had actually fallen asleep for a moment standing up. Blinking his eyes hard a few times, he then wiped the water away from his face and let out a few heavy breaths before closing his eyes feeling his heart beating almost double time in his chest.

"Damn it," he mumbled slightly and then turned back towards the shower spray. The water had already started to cool and he wondered just how long he had been in there. Too long he was sure if he could judge anything by the pruney look of his fingers.

Quickly finishing washing up, he stepped out of the shower letting the water drip and bead off of his back and stomach for a moment before reaching for a towel.

As he toweled off, he looked at his foggy reflection in the mirror thinking for a moment and then frowned at it. The form was hazy behind the mask of mist that clung to the mirror's surface and Dean couldn't help but think that was how he felt these days. Like he was walking around in a thick fog and was just trying to keep from crashing and burning or letting anyone see what was really going on inside.

Like the simple fact he was scared shitless of going to Hell.

True, he had admitted to Sam that he didn't want to go to Hell, but he also knew that Sam had known that far before Dean would even let himself think that. With his constant 'I'm fine' mantra, Dean had tried to not let his looming deadline bother him; but he knew that Sam could tell. And how could it _not_ bother him knowing what they did about the things that resided in Hell. But he would be _damned_ if he would let others feel pity for him.

Because in spite of being scared of Hell, he was not sorry that he had done it. He had known the consequences even before he went to the cross-roads, but he also knew that the alternative was no choice at all.

There was just no living without Sam.

And if anyone asked him, he would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant Sam would be there by his side for that much longer.

As he finished drying off, he tied the towel around his waist and then picked up his toothbrush. Putting toothpaste on the bristles, he looked up at the mirror and hesitated for just a second before finally wiping the mirror clean and looking at his reflection in the glass. Tired looking eyes stared back at him from the glass and for a moment Dean wasn't sure who it was he was looking at. Dark circles hung below the murky green orbs and his skin though warmed by the shower's heat still looked pasty.

Looked tired and beaten.

Hating how he looked, Dean gritted his jaw and finally tore his eyes away from the image to start brushing his teeth. No pity. Not even from himself.

When he finished, he switched off the light and headed back out into the other room. The cooler air prickled his damp skin as he padded his way over to his bag with unnerving error and pulled out his sleep clothes and some boxers.

After getting dressed, he crept over to his brother's bed and watched Sam sleep for a moment smiling at the sight before him. The big nerd had somehow gotten the blanket twisted around his waist and left leg which shot out across the bed diagonally while his right arm hung off the edge of the bed with the whole hand dangling against the carpet at an odd angle. Dean just smiled a little more and shook his head as he ran his fingers slightly through Sam's unruly hair.

_Goodnight, Sasquatch._

Dean then climbed into his own bed and laid there blinking hazily up at the ceiling. At least it wouldn't be too much longer until sunrise.

He turned so he could watch Sam sleep and listened to his rhythmic breathing. He hadn't said anything to Sam yet, but he hadn't been able to sleep since their excursions into dreamland with Jeremy for more than a few minutes at a time.

And that had been almost…five days ago?

God, it somehow seemed _so_ much longer than that. But Dean knew that if he didn't do something soon, he would probably end up endangering Sam even more. Even he needed _some_ sleep.

He already seen the usual signs of sleep deprivation but now it was becoming even worse. His concentration and reflexes were shot and sometimes when the need for sleep became almost a palpable thing he would find himself slipping. It was just yesterday he had been almost positive he'd seen a squirrel tapping at their window and beckoning him to come outside. And then he would _have _to try and get some sleep. But then the nightmares would come and he'd try not to wake up screaming for fear of waking Sam, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could last before he finally cracked.

Dean sighed and turned to look at the ceiling again in frustration. Maybe they could head towards Bobby's after they finished this next hunt? If nothing else, maybe the older hunter might have some idea what was happening to him.

If he pitched the idea right…maybe Sam wouldn't get suspicious? Yeah right, and that'll happen when pigs fly. Dean sighed again and then scooted down in the warm covers even more and closed his eyes. Maybe. If he tried really hard, he could sleep for a little while before Sam woke up.

Yeah right. And maybe when he woke up he would find out that he and Sam were actually famous actors starring in a hit TV show and were filthy rich to boot.

Sighing heavily he gave a little snort of a laugh and tried to calm his thoughts.

_Oh man, I'm so screwed._

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A/N: Okay, hope you liked. Let me know by sending me a review. I think probably three more chapters to this story and I'll get them posted soon. Until then, keep reading.


	2. Chapter 2

SLEEPLESS

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit. Also, if anything seems familiar, I don't own it.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews for last chapter. I always love getting them. They help my muse motivate me to write more.

Spoilers: Up through the Season 3 episode "Dream A Little Dream". I guess you might call this a tag to that episode maybe? But other than that…I don't think there's much.

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"Dean, look out!"

Dean tried to move out of the way of the flying table but his reflexes were so shot that he hesitated a moment too long trying to decide which way to go and the table slammed into him knocking the air out of his lungs as he smacked against the wall behind him and then laid him out flat on top of it as he rebounded from the force of the hit.

"Dean!" Sam fired off the shot of salt at the ghost and didn't even wait for it to dissipate before he was scrambling across the floor to where Dean stood pinned against the wall by the family's dining room table. The table, a heavy ornate oak design, was wedged against Dean's hips effectively pinning him to the wall like a bug. Sam hesitated for a moment trying to figure out the best way to move it but Dean beat him to it.

"Go. Take care of the bones," Dean said tiredly as he finally pushed up off of the table with only a small wince and then started to try and push it away from him.

"Yeah, but-" _What about you?_

"Just go! The sooner you burn the bastard, the sooner this will be done." Dean stared Sam down watching as Sam debated about it for a second more before he added in his best John Winchester imitation. "Sam, now!"

Sam stiffened slightly at the tone but knew that it was what needed to be done. "Okay, just...here." Sam quickly picked up his brother's dropped shotgun and handed it to him. "Be careful."

This earned him a patented eye-roll before he quickly picked up their bag of supplies and headed towards the basement where they were sure the body had been buried.

Dean watched Sam's retreating form for a long moment hoped that he would be okay since he couldn't watch his back.

_Now…back to the current problem._

He pushed and wiggled and tried to scoot out from behind the table, but the more he struggled, the harder the thing seemed to push back. "Grgh. Damn ghosts! Why do they always...have to find…the heaviest...thing…in the house...to throw at us." He stopped for a moment panting heavily as his waning energy gave out and he had to lean back against the wall for a breather.

As he closed his eyes, he thought he heard something move and quickly snapped his eyes open just in time to duck to one side as a knife came zinging towards him. "What the-"

He quickly dodged again as another knife just barely missed him and he gritted his teeth as the edge of the table bit into his legs with even move force as if the ghost was trying to make him hold still.

He gripped the shotgun and looked around the empty room trying to find where the ghost would materialize next and could feel his anger growing with every passing second. "Come on, bitch. You think this is funny?!" he screamed out to the empty room.

_Come on. Come on…show your face you stupid fugly- There!_

He quickly fired a salt round where a knife floated in mid-air and he heard an echoing scream as the ghost disappeared once again. "Sam!?"

"Almost done!" The distant voice of his brother floated up to him and then he heard Sam yell as a sickening thud came from down bellow.

"Sam?"

More noises could be heard from the basement along with another gunshot and Dean increased his struggles to get free from the heavy table even more.

Finally, with one final screech everything went quiet.

"Sam?!"

Dean pushed against the table and was so shocked that it moved that he stumbled to try and get his footing in its absence. He cursed as pain shot through his bruised hips as blood flowed back to the squished area and he knew sitting and standing wasn't going to be much fun for the next few days until they started to heal. He fumbled slightly trying to get his feet to move in the right direction before tearing down the hall towards the basement door and where Sam was.

The closer he got, the more smoke started to fill the enclosed area and he was surprised that the smoke alarm hadn't gone off yet. "Sam?"

A faint voice from below had him clamoring down the narrow stairs as fast as he could go without breaking his neck and then stopping as soon as his brother's lanky form came into view. Seeing Sam laid out flat next to the burning hole in the floor with his eyes closed made his heart skip a beat and he skidded to a stop before falling to his knees beside his brother's prone body.

_Nononono. _

As his hands ghosted over Sam's body, uncertain of where Sam might be hurt, he couldn't help the shiver of fear that went through him at the thought that he might be dead.

_Oh god oh god. Pleasepleaseplease._

With bumbling fingers, he began to search Sam for injuries and jumped slightly when Sam grabbed his frantic hands in his own and smiled up at him without opening his eyes.

"Dude, chill, I'm okay," Sam said finally opening his eyes and making sure to catch his brother's eyes saying…_It's okay _and…_I'm still here _with that one look.

Dean glanced down at their hands for a moment trying to process what Sam had just said noticing, not for the first time, how long and delicate looking his brother's hands were in comparison to his own scratched and calloused ones and he couldn't help but think that this wasn't the life his brother deserved. He shouldn't be hunting. He shouldn't even be here.

"Dean, are you okay?" Sam said finally trying to sit up and Dean snapped his eyes back up to Sam's in surprise. "Did you hit your head or something?"

Dean just blinked at him for a moment and then gave a lazy grin trying to cover his slip. "No. Of course not. I was just wondering how I was gonna carry your heavy ass out of here if that ghost had gotten the best of you. Besides, you're the one that sounded like you were getting thrown around like a rag doll down here." Quickly pulling his hands away, he sat back hoping that Sam wouldn't notice how much they were shaking and gave Sam a cocky grin

Sam just chuckled slightly and shook his head wincing slightly at the pain the movement caused. "Yeah, well, you were doing a pretty good impression of that yourself earlier." He started to sit up and Dean sighed silently in relief as he moved away to give his brother a little more room.

"Puff, please, that was nothing. Besides, I like to think of that as flying lessons for when I'm trying out for Superman." Dean made a motion like he was flying like Christopher Reeve in _Superman_ and then put his fists on his hips and stuck out his chest in classic superhero stance.

That got Sam smiling and Dean knew that he was going to be okay. "Come on," Dean said clapping a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Let's finish this up and get out of here."

About that time the smoke alarm upstairs started going off and both brothers groaned at the screeching beep that grated on both their nerves.

"I'll get that," Sam said tiredly. "You start filling the hole back in." He pulled himself up off the basement floor and managed only to sway slightly before heading slowly up the stairs grumbling about ghosts and cement walls.

After watching Sam for a moment more, Dean just nodded and started to pull himself up only wincing slightly as his aching body protested the movement, but of course he would never admit that to anyone if asked. He was Dean Winchester, Monster Hunter Extraordinaire, he didn't get hurt. Watching as the flames started to die down, he stared at it for a moment feeling the growing smoke burn his tired eyes and he gave a tired sigh before shoveling the first bit of dirt back into the hole.

At least they hadn't had to use a pick axe to get through a cement floor this time. That would have really sucked.

Stepping back a moment to examine his work he leaned against the shovel and tried to catch his breath. He still hadn't been able to sleep since the incident with Jeremy and he could definitely tell that it was affecting him both physically and mentally. Being both mentally and physically exhausted but trying not to show that you were just completely sucked out loud, and he knew that if he didn't get some sleep soon he was going to go crazy. He continued scraping more dirt into the hole and sighed tiredly.

_But on the bright side…this hunt was _done.

"Another baddie gone up in smoke," he mumbled as he tossed the last bit of dirt in and tamped it down.

"You ready?" Sam asked poking his head down the stairs and Dean startled slightly but then tried to hide it as he turned back to look at Sam's upside down face.

"Yeah, just a second." He took another look around the basement to make sure they had everything and then leaned over to pick up his shotgun, the gasoline can, and salt canister.

As he straightened, everything seemed to lurch slightly and the edges of his vision whited out for a moment making him stumble and tip to the side before he caught his balance.

"Hey, you okay?"

Sam's gentle hand was resting firmly on his shoulder and Dean wondered for a second how Sam had gotten down the stairs so fast without killing himself before he was shaking it off. "I'm fine. Let's just get the hell out of here." He quickly headed for the stairs leaving Sam standing there looking worriedly up at his brother's retreating form.

Sam watched Dean climb the stairs slowly and he couldn't help the pang of worry that spread through his gut. He knew that Dean hadn't been sleeping well since their trip into Dreamland with Jeremy, but after what had happened today on the hunt he was really beginning to worry.

Dean _never _hesitated and when Sam saw him get pinned by that table, he had thought that that might be it. Besides, he'd seen the knives in the wall upstairs. He let out a heavy sigh and then trudged up the stairs after Dean. Maybe it was time to do something about it.

Both brothers finished up in silence and headed out to the Impala to put their gear away when Sam finally decided to say something.

"You know, I've been thinking," Sam begun as he put the salt canister away.

"Well that's never a good thing," Dean jibed slamming the trunk lid and heading towards the driver's side.

Sam just glared at his retreating back for a moment before heading around to the passenger side and leaned against the roof. "You know...we're this close to Bobby's. Maybe we should take a couple days off and go see him?"

Dean hesitated trying to read Sam's intentions from his eyes but was too tired to get a good read. "Why?" he asked instead.

Sam just shrugged and looked out towards the front of the car before looking back at Dean. "I don't know. Maybe check up on him? See how he's handling things after his little dream walk? I mean...that dredged up some pretty painful memories about his wife. Maybe he could use some company to take his mind off things. Besides," He looked down at his hands slightly not sure how to word the next part and then tapped his fingers on the roof slightly. "I thought maybe we could use a break." A look at Dean's guarded glance and he tried a different approach. "We could use a chance to restock our supplies. We've been getting low on silver bullets. Maybe we can also see if he's found out anything about Bella's whereabouts." He held his breath as Dean continued to stare at him trying to figure out if that was just it and Sam prayed that Dean wouldn't sense Sam's real intentions behind the visit.

Dean held Sam's gaze for a moment longer so it seemed like he was contemplating the idea before finally nodding. "Okay." He nodded and leaned against the car himself for a moment.

"Really?" Sam asked in slight disbelief. He had thought he would have to sell it a little more but this almost seemed…easy. Maybe a little too easy.

Dean just nodded again. "Sure. Besides we do need to get some more silver bullets and after today," he finally pushed back up to standing and opened the driver's door. "We should restock our salt rounds too." As he sank into the leather seat, he gave a relieved little sigh and thanked whoever was listening for the opportunity to head to Bobby's.

At least he wouldn't have to try and think of some reason for them to head to Bobby's now.

Sam smiled slightly as he saw Dean slide into the car and inwardly punched the air with his fist in success as he got in the car. Now all he had to do was find some to ask Bobby for help without Dean knowing about it.

As the car gave a throaty thrum and the stereo kicked in blasting out Metallica's _Enter Sandman, _he couldn't help the smile that spread even farther across his face. At least he could still pull a fast one on Dean once in a while.

Of course, looking at his brother as Dean pulled the sleek muscle car away from the curb; Sam could see that his big brother was _definitely_ not up to par. The dark circles under his eyes only seemed to emphasize how pale his skin was and his freckles stood out in stark clarity against the almost white skin reminding him of how Dean had looked after that incident with the Rawhead several years before when he'd almost lost him and he gave himself a slight shake to dispel the image completely from his mind.

_That was then, Sam. It's not like that this time._

He just hoped that the stay at Bobby's would help Dean get past whatever was bothering him and give him the chance to relax and re-cooperate. Otherwise, Sam was going to have to pull out the big guns and resort to his Little Brother tactics to find out what was wrong. And he was just so not looking forward to that. Getting Dean to admit that something might be wrong and have a dreaded chick-flick moment was sort of like having your teeth pulled but without the anesthetic. But if that's what needed to be done, then so be it.

"What?" Dean asked finally turning annoyed eyes towards Sam and Sam suddenly realized that he had been staring.

"Sorry," Quickly turning away, he berated himself for being caught. "Just tired I guess."

He quickly scrunched down in the seat and laid his head back against the seat letting his mind wander for the moment. He wasn't a complete lie, he was kind of tired but he didn't think it was probably a good idea to sleep in case Dean started to crash. Straightening back up in his seat he turned his gaze out the window.

Soon they were speeding along the open highway, the scenery flying by as the rhythmic beat of Metallica beat out at an almost ear throbbing level; and yet, in spite of the intensity of the beat, Sam fell asleep.

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Bobby was in his living room looking over some new research for a hunt he'd heard about when he heard the deep growl of the Impala's engine coming up his drive. His eyebrows pulled together as he looked up and he wondered what could have brought the boys to his doorstep this time. Putting the research aside, he stood up slowly hearing his joints pop and crack and then headed towards the front door. "Man I'm getting too old for this."

Opening the screen door he noticed that both boys were still sitting in the front seat and he frowned again in confusion. Finally seeing Dean move to bat at his brother's shoulder, he couldn't help but grin when Sam about jumped through the windshield when he startled awake.

He gave a little chortle of laughter as Sam glared at Dean before turning to open the passenger and Bobby could hear Sam grumble something as he pulled his lanky frame out of the car. "Hey, Bobby."

"Sam," Bobby said as he moved to the edge of the porch. "And to what do I owe a visit from you two? You boys in some kind of trouble?"

Sam stopped trying to open the trunk of the Impala and gave Bobby a slightly perplexed look. "Now, Bobby, why would you think that?" A sly grin slid across his face and then he turned back to opening the trunk to get their duffle bags.

Bobby just chuckled as he finally stepped off the porch and down the stairs towards the black car. "Gee, I wouldn't know. It just seems like every time you two come by here unannounced, I usually end up having to redecorate after some demon or such comes barreling after your asses."

"You redecorate?" Sam chided slightly as he hefted both bags over his shoulder as if they weighed nothing and then slammed the trunk lid.

"Ha ha. Very funny."

Sam gave a shy smile and had the decency to look a little chagrined as he continued walking towards the older hunter. "I guess we _do_ have a tendency to have the minions of Hell on our tail when we come through here don't we?"

Bobby gave a hearty laugh at that and pointed a finger in exclamation at the younger Winchester. "Now _that's_ the understatement of the year." He and Sam both exchange a laugh before the older hunter finally turned serious eyes back to the car and the eldest Winchester who was just starting to get out. "You, uh…boys okay?"

"We're fine, Bobby," Dean groused as he swung his legs out a little hesitantly and planted them onto the dusty ground.

"Yeah, and apparently we've been 'fine' for the last three days," Sam said slightly under his breath making Bobby turn concerned eyes towards Sam again.

"And it's going to continue to be fine until _somebody_ quits asking me, if I'm OKAY." Dean's voice continued to rise in anger until he was almost shouting on the last word as he glared at the other two daring them to say anything more. Which they both didn't of course

Sighing once again at all of it, Dean then started the arduous task of getting out of the car. Being still for such a long time had made his sore and tired muscles stiffen and it was starting to be a real pain to even try and move let alone try and stand up.

He pushed against the door grumbling slightly as it seemed to swing back at him and he gave it another shove before trying to push up out of the seat only to get tangled in the seatbelt which earned the task another few good curse words and he tried to shake his arm free as his frustration at the situation continued to rise and he finally snapped. Pulling himself to a standing position he angrily yanked at the stupid belt untangling himself from it before finally grabbing the door in frustration and slamming it with a resounding thud. Turning towards Sam and Bobby he tugged at his coat trying to straighten it out and gave a forceful huff as he tried to calm his frazzled nerves. Cringing slightly as he realized what he had just done, he turned back to the car with a guilty look. "Sorry," he said petulantly and patted the car's door slightly as if begging for her forgiveness.

Both Bobby and Sam just stood there in awed silence at the scene and then looked at each other knowing that something was _definitely_ wrong.

"Okay," Bobby started slowly turning back to look at the older brother. "So I can see that _somebody_ must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed today. Who pissed in your post toasties this morning?" Bobby asked and received a withering look from the younger man.

"Very funny," Dean said sarcastically and continued to glare.

Bobby just held up his hands in defeat and backed away. He knew when not to push. "Hey, sorry I asked."

Dean then frowned and seemed to deflate slightly before putting his hands in his pockets and looking down at his shoes. "Sorry. I guess I'm just…" He scuffed the toe of his boot in the dirt and pressed his lips together in thought before answering again. "Sorry."

Bobby just nodded hesitantly accepting the unusual apology before deciding that maybe a subject change was in order. "So what brings you boys up this way if you're not in trouble? It's not like you could have missed me? It's only been what…a week?"

_God had it only been a week since they'd left Bobby_? Dean thought to himself as Sam and Bobby continued to talk. After the whole fiasco with Bella and the punk kid Jeremy, they had went their own way, but of course, not being able to sleep had made that seem so much longer. And Dean knew that a week was waaayyyy too long physically to go without sleep. He knew that there had been people who had done studies on the effects of no sleep and how long somebody could go without it. But to actually have it happen to you? Not to mention the days before that he hadn't gotten any sleep because of the whole dream root fiasco and the possibility of Jeremy killing him in his sleep.

All he knew was that he was _never_ accepting another beer from anybody he didn't know. You know unless it was a pretty girl. That he had checked out before hand of course.

As Sam and Bobby continued to talk, Dean couldn't help but lean against the Impala and let him thoughts wander. All he really wanted to do right now was go in and lie down and sleep for like a week. It seemed like the only thing that was keeping him on his feet at the moment was that ever since the whole dream walk thing that he _couldn't_ go to sleep.

Not really anyways.

He tried but even though his body craved sleep like a junkie craved his next fix, something was keeping him from doing just that. Sure, he had tried just about everything from relaxation techniques to sleeping pills but so far _nothing_ had worked. He would get maybe a few minutes here and there but that had been it. And this had been going on for a _week?_ Man he needed to get some sleep.

Now if he could only get Bobby alone long enough to pick his brain about any possibilities of side effects from the dream root without having Sam know what was happening then maybe-

"Dean?"

Dean snapped back to the present and looked between Bobby and Sam's expectant expressions and knew that he had missed something important. "Huh?"

"We were just discussing about going inside and getting a beer before maybe going out for supper," Sam explained with a worried look. "What do you think?"

Dean suddenly felt like he was five and Sam was trying to explain a geometry question to him, his tired brain not even trying to process the question and he couldn't help but feel like there was probably a glowing sign on his forehead that said 'Brain Out of Service'.

"Uh, yeah, sure…that sounds like a plan." Dean nodded slightly and then rolled his eyes when Bobby and Sam exchanged another worried glance. "Look. I'm fine. I'm just…tired okay?" When he saw the matching 'Duh' looks from both Sam and Bobby his anger flared again. "Will you two _please_ stop looking at me like I might keel over at any moment? Like I said-"

"You're fine." Both Bobby and Sam finished in exacerbated unison. Like they hadn't heard that one before. The older hunter and younger brother exchanged a look again and Dean couldn't help the tired anger that boiled over at that look.

"Oh, for Pete's sake…just…stop!" He stormed over to the porch and pushed his way passed the other two and stomped up the stairs with his jaw and fists clenched.

Why didn't anyone believe him? This wasn't anything to get worked up about. He was fine, and as soon as he could get some sleep, he would be even better. It wasn't like he was hurt or anything.

He quickly reached for the screen door pulling at it in frustration a few times before giving it a final yank which sent him stumbling back slightly as it finally came unstuck and almost hit him in the face. He cursed again in frustration before pushing the heavy inner door open and stepped inside the house.

The moment he crossed the threshold completely, a wave of exhaustion swept over him making his whole body almost tingle in its wake. He stopped dead in his tracks, swaying slightly in place at the heady feeling of it. "Huh."

"Dean?" Sam asked noticing how his brother had stilled and was swaying slightly even as his hand still rested on the doorknob behind him and suddenly he had a bad feeling about this.

Dean heard Sam's voice but couldn't bring himself to answer as he stood there stock still. He didn't know what had just happened, but suddenly…he knew that he was just absolutely exhausted. His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed with not even a sound as the welcoming darkness finally overtook him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N: There you go another chapter. I hope you liked it. Let me know by clicking the little button below and sending me a review. Until later.


	3. Chapter 3

SLEEPLESS

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit. Also, if anything seems familiar, I don't own it.

A/N: Hello. Sorry this is late. I know I promised the weekend but I guess technically it still is for some of us anyways. Also, thanks for the reviews so far I love hearing what you guys think. They help keep my muse motivated to help me write more.

Spoilers: Up through the Season 3 episode "Dream A Little Dream". I guess you might call this a tag to that episode maybe? But other than that…I don't think there's much.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Dean!" Sam was up the stairs before the screen door had even closed and in a few quick strides he practically ripped the screen door off its hinges as he raced to get to his brother.

Thankfully, Dean had not cracked his head on the table that sat right next to the door and was just lying there with one arm crumpled under him at an awkward angle as his other arm and legs sprawled all akimbo across the entry way floor as if someone had just cut his strings leaving him to fall bonelessly to the floor.

"Dean?" Sam quickly skirted around his brother careful not to step on fingers or toes and checked his brother for injuries before gently turning him over to repeat the process. Not finding anything obvious he then checked for a fever but just found cool, dry skin under his searching hand. "Dean, hey wake up." He gently shook Dean receiving no response and then tapped his cheek.

"Sam?" Bobby asked just as perplexed by the older Winchester's collapse.

Sam quickly checked Dean's pulse and found it strong and steady against his fingertips if not a little slower than he thought it should be and just shook his head in confusion. "I don't…I don't know. Dean?!" He tried again to wake his brother but nothing seemed to gain a response, not even rubbing his knuckles across Dean's sternum.

"Come on. Let's get him upstairs. Maybe he's got some kind of injury that we don't know about," Bobby said quickly leaning over to take Dean's feet and between the two of them they managed to get him upstairs and into the spare bedroom Dean and Sam always used when they visited.

They laid him out on his bed, the closest one to the door, and then Sam quickly started undressing his brother while Bobby went in search of his first aid kit. Just in case.

As Sam undressed his brother, he couldn't help but notice how pliant Dean was in his hands. His arms and legs flopped effortlessly against Sam's pulls and tugs and his head lolled from side to side giving Sam the impression of a rag doll being pushed around which didn't make Sam feel any better; but through everything, Dean never once showed any signs of waking.

Bobby came back soon after with the first aid kit in hand and between the two of them they started to examine every inch of Dean's body. Strangely though, there weren't any injuries that would explain his collapse. No broken ribs or infected lacerations. Just a few bruises along his back and arms from where the ghost had thrown him around earlier and an impressive line of bruising across his hips from where the table had slammed into him which made Sam and Bobby winced in sympathy, but other than that…there was nothing.

"I don't get it," Sam began shaking his head in confusion once again. "What caused this?"

"You said he hasn't been feeling well? How long ago did this start?" Bobby asked Sam as he continued to look down at Dean's prone form.

"Um, a couple days maybe? I think maybe since we…" Finally a light seemed to go on in Sam's head and he looked up at Bobby with worried eyes. "Since we went dream walking."

"The thing with that kid Jeremy? You think maybe this might have something to do with that?"

Sam nodded slightly and then looked down at Dean with worried eyes.

"But what? It can't be Jeremy, didn't you say you turned his dreams against him and then killed him?" Bobby asked perplexed by the idea.

"Yeah, but I don't think this is a ghost thing." He bit his lip as he thought about it for a second. "I think maybe this might be something to do with the dream root maybe?"

"But didn't you both take it? Why isn't it affecting you this way? Or even me?"

Sam just shrugged. "I don't know. But neither of us had both Jeremy in our head and took it to go into someone else's dream." He seemed to think about it for a moment as he studied Dean's lax features and then looked back up at Bobby again. "I'll need to do some research, but I may have an idea."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was almost a day, a whole freaking twenty-four hours, before Dean even _moved_.

At first, Sam wasn't sure if he had actually seen it. He stared with fixed concentration on Dean's face wondering if it was just a hallucination or maybe a dream when it happened again.

The slightest twitch of his head and a scrunch of eyebrows, and Sam was fumbling to untangle himself from the books and papers lying in his lap. Almost doing a face plant as his feet got tangled in the blanket Bobby had laid across his lap at some point during the night, he quickly kicked away the offending material and managed to plop himself down on the side of the bed before Dean shifted again. This time, his fingers curling slightly around Sam's hand before going lax again.

Feeling a relieved grin pass across his face, Sam let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Dean?" Sam asked not caring if Dean could hear the underlying need in his voice. At this point he _hoped_ Dean would hear it and open his eyes just so he could make sure that Sam was okay. "Hey can you hear me?"

Since Dean's initial collapse the day before, he had been researching the dream root and possible side effects practically tearing through Bobby's library and picking the older hunter's brain for any other possibilities, but so far he still wasn't sure what would cause this. Finally sending Bobby to see if he could track down a few more contacts, Sam had took up vigil beside his brother's side and dove into the internet for any possible answer that may have not been in Bobby's books. But until now, there hadn't been any change. "Dean, hey man, open your eyes if you can hear me. Dean?"

Dean shifted again slightly and his face scrunched up once more before settling back into its peaceful state and Sam started to panic that he might not wake at all.

"No. No, Dean...Hey man, come on. Time to wake up, Dude." Sam shook his brother's shoulders with increasing dread even pinching his arm hoping for something but still he wouldn't wake. Finally sighing in frustration, he stopped and rested his head on the bed in defeat. "Damn it!" he shouted and pounded his fist against the mattress. When he looked back up with weary eyes at Dean's peaceful face, he knew that tears shimmered in his eyes but he couldn't let them fall. Not yet. Quickly wiping a hand across his tired eyes to wipe away the offending moisture, he then ran his hand over Dean's spiky hair and listened to Dean's steady breathing for a moment more before letting his hand fall away.

Getting up on shaky legs, he looked down at Dean and felt the despair of the situation weigh heavy on his shoulders. Was this how Dean had felt after Sam had died at Cold Oak? Of course, Dean wasn't dead but with only threemonths left until the Hell Hounds came to drag him off to Hell...

What if this didn't have anything to do with Jeremy or the dream root? What if this was something else? Something serious? What if Dean never woke up?

No. He would figure this out. Sam set his jaw and then went back to his chair to pick up his computer again. He pulled the chair a little closer to the side of the bed and propped his feet up on the side of the bed making sure to keep in contact with his brother's leg. This way he would know the _second_ Dean made a move. Opening his computer again, he dived back into his research with a new resolve.

There was still time. And until Dean's deal came due, Sam wasn't about to give up on anything. "There's no way I'm gonna let you go to Hell without a fight," he mumbled slightly under his breath as he opened a new window and started another search on Selinas Capensis a.k.a. dream root.

He looked up at Dean for a moment watching his chest rise and fall slowly and pressed his lips into a determined line. "Don't you give up on me yet, Dean. I'm gonna figure this out." He then gave a weary sigh and began his search anew.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next time Dean moved, it was Bobby that was sitting with him.

He had finally ordered Sam to go and sleep in his room after almost thirty hours of being up because he knew if he stayed in the same room as Dean, he would never go to sleep and would probably end up passing out. And frankly, Bobby didn't want to have to lug his heavy ass to bed.

After some argument where Bobby had, not so casually, threatened to drug the kid if he didn't obey, Sam finally relented and left Bobby to sit and try to figure out his hastily scratched notes and pile of research he had marked for possible reasons why Dean wasn't waking up. He'd been trying to figure out which way was up on one of the papers for the last thirty minutes when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up and then had to do a double take when he saw Dean sitting on the edge of his bed.

Quickly putting the paper down, he leaned forward to the look at the younger hunter. "Dean?"

Dean just sat there—shoulders slightly slumped—looking at the floor as if in deep contemplation, but never once did he acknowledge Bobby's call.

"Hey, you okay?" Bobby asked hesitantly as he moved the pile of papers he had sitting on his lap to the side and just continued to watch. Still not receiving any response he just sat forward again deciding that maybe he should just watch and see what happened.

For a few long moments, Dean didn't move and Bobby was beginning to wonder about if Dean would move again when he finally got hesitantly to his feet. It took him several tries to get to his feet and when he did he swayed dangerously for a few moments before taking a few shuffling steps forward. Moving around to the other bed in the room where Sam usually slept he stopped and just stood there looking at the empty bed. After a little while longer, he finally turned and headed towards the foot of the bed and then towards the door.

Pulling his feet in to make sure Dean didn't trip over them as he shuffled past, Bobby caught a glimpse of his face and startled at the look. His eyes were open but Bobby could tell they were glazed over and his face was void of any emotion. As he watched Dean shuffle towards the door, he finally got up but hung back watching. When Dean stopped again before opening the door, Bobby approached him hesitantly. "Dean, where you going?" he asked quietly.

Dean fumbled with the handle missing it several times before finally getting it open. "Need fnd Smm," he finally mumbled and stumbled slightly as he headed out the door.

Bobby's eyes quirked in confusion as he followed him out the bedroom door. "You need to find, Sam? Why?"

Dean continued to shuffle down the hall. "Jst…do." When he reached the end of the hall, he bumped into the wall and then slid along it with one hand up brushing across the wallpaper as if he was searching for something.

Bobby just watched him in awe and confusion for a few moments and then quickly stepped forward before he reached the top of the stairs and fell down. "Do you want me to take you to Sam?" he said gently as he laid a hand on the young man's shoulder and finally Dean stopped.

After a few moments more where Dean continued to lean against the wall, he finally nodded disjointedly and let Bobby guide him towards the room where he knew Sam was sleeping.

Bobby wasn't sure how he was going to do this, but he stepped forward letting Dean shuffle along behind him slowly and then opened the door to his bedroom. As he slipped inside the room, he made sure to keep an eye on Dean and also Sam who was still asleep.

Dean stopped for a moment bumping his shoulder on the door frame and seemed to try and figure out what to do next before starting forward again. As he came closer to the bed, Bobby could see Sam start to shift in his sleep and wondered if this might be a disaster waiting to happen.

Sam shifted again and gave out a small whimper before shifting again restlessly. And if Bobby hadn't seen it himself he would have never believed it. Dean walked up beside Sam's bed and bent down putting both hands on the bed to steady himself before combing his hand through Sam's hair. Sam began to settle as Dean continued to rub his thumb across Sam's forehead and the lines of worry there finally began to smooth as the nightmare faded and Sam finally took a deep breath leaning slightly towards Dean's hand.

"Nigh, Smmyy," Dean whispered and then slowly pulled himself back up to standing then turned and starting shuffling towards the door again. Bobby stood there with his mouth hanging open even more confused than he had been before but quickly pulling himself together as Dean bumped into the doorframe again and then headed out into the hall. He guided him back to his room with a few gentle touches to keep him from bumping into anything else and back to his bed. As he helped lower Dean back into bed and pull the covers back up over him, he couldn't help but stare at the young man's face as he sighed slightly, closed his eyes, and seemed to fall back asleep.

Bobby carded his hand through Dean's short hair and then down to cup his cheek and Dean instinctively leaned towards the touch but never stirred again after that. Making sure he wasn't going to wake again, Bobby finally pulled his hand away and then stood up completely dumbstruck by what he had just seen. Had that really happened? An idea suddenly came to him and moved swiftly out of the room.

"Sam! Sam, wake up," he said bounding into the room and then back-peddled as Sam came up fighting. "Whoa, Sam, it's just me. It's Bobby." He said standing back out of the range of Sam's flying appendages.

After a moment more, Sam finally fell back against the bed panting and Bobby instantly felt regret at his harsh awakening. "You with me, kid?" Bobby asked and sat down on the edge of the bed.

After a moment of heavy breathing and stuttering heart, Sam finally managed to pull himself together and looked up at Bobby with a cross look on his face before pointing a finger at the older hunter. "Don't do that."

Bobby couldn't help the little play of a smile that crossed his face which he then quickly tried to hide as Sam ran a hand across his face. "Sorry, but I had to talk to you."

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A/N: Okay guys; hope you're still liking this one. Let me know by sending me a review. Good or bad, I like to know. Until next time.


	4. Chapter 4

SLEEPLESS

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit. Also, if anything seems familiar, I don't own it.

A/N: Hello. First off, thanks for the great reviews so far. I wasn't too sure when I started posting this story how you guys would like it but I guess so far you do. Also, for those of you who have been reading my other stories. Don't worry. I'm working on them. It just takes me a little longer to churn them out. So thanks for sticking with them.

Spoilers: Up through the Season 3 episode "Dream A Little Dream". I guess you might call this a tag to that episode maybe? But other than that…I don't think there's much.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

THEN

_"Sam! Sam, wake up," he said bounding into the room and then back-peddled as Sam came up fighting. "Whoa, Sam, it's just me. It's Bobby." He said standing back out of the range of Sam's flying appendages._

_After a moment more, Sam finally fell back against the bed panting and Bobby instantly felt regret at his harsh awakening. "You with me, kid?" Bobby asked and sat down on the edge of the bed._

_After a moment of heavy breathing and stuttering heart, Sam finally managed to pull himself together and looked up at Bobby with a cross look on his face before pointing a finger at the older hunter. "Don't do that."_

_Bobby couldn't help the little play of a smile that crossed his face which he then quickly tried to hide as Sam ran a hand across his face. "Sorry, but I had to talk to you."_

oooooooooo

NOW

Sam stared at him in confusion trying to get his brain to process what Bobby was saying and then sat up to face the older man "About what?"

"Has Dean ever sleep-walked before?"

Now Sam was totally confused. "What?"

"You heard me. Has Dean ever sleep-walked?"

Sam shifted around for a second as he tried to think and then scratched his head. "Um, I don't think so. Except...maybe one time? Why?"

"I think I may know what's going on."

Sam's eyebrows shot up and he was quickly sat up a little taller. His head was still a little fuzzy from being so rudely woken but the possibility of knowing what was going on with Dean helped to clean the fog. "So…what is it?"

"You said Dean had been pretty cranky lately?"

"Yeah, but I just thought it was because Bella screwed us and the nightmares," Sam said now seeing that maybe that hadn't been all of it.

"He's been having nightmares?"

"Yeah, ever since we went dream-walking. Since then he hasn't slept much at all."

Bobby thought about this for a second. "Have you actually seen him sleep since then?"

Sam blinked several times and bit his lip in thought then shook his head. "No, actually…he usually went to bed after I did and was up before I got up which if I think about it is really weird. Bobby, what's going on?"

Bobby sighed and ran a hand across his face. "I think...I think maybe he's just sleeping."

The array of emotions that went across Sam's face was just comical until he finally settled on just completely baffled. "What? But...it's been almost two _days_. How could he just be sleeping?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but think about it? The dream root that Jeremy used made your dreams extremely vivid. And the fact that he figured out how to invade other people's dreams so that he could kill them must have taken some serious mojo. So what if when you killed Jeremy in Dean's dream, it...kind of...backfired. Instead of knocking you out and letting you dream it-"

"Made it so you couldn't sleep," Sam finished. "Just like Jeremy before the dream root." _In their crazy world, that actually made sense._ "But what changed? And why didn't it affect you or me in the same way?"

Bobby just shrugged. "Like you said before, he was the only one to have both used it and had it used on him. Who knows? But...what else could it be?"

Sam thought about it for a second and just shrugged. They'd had stranger things happen. "Okay," Sam said hesitantly. "So...what? We just let him sleep?"

Bobby just threw up his hands. "I guess? But we'll just have to keep an eye on him and see if we can figure out why it suddenly gave out and if this could happen again."

"I suppose. So...why did you ask me about the sleep-walking?" Sam asked still perplexed by why that was so important.

Bobby just chuckled slightly and shook his head. "Because evidently even _asleep_...that boy can tell when you need him." At Sam's confused look, he took pity on him. "You don't remember do you?" At Sam's confused shake of his head, he continued. "Dean actually came to check on you. You were just starting to have a nightmare and he came to calm you down."

"He did that?" Sam asked in a small awed voice and noted Bobby's enthusiastic nod. _Wow._ _So I guess Dean's Big Brother instincts were still alive and kicking. Well maybe I need to be the good Little Brother then._ He started to get up and now it was Bobby's turn to look confused.

"Where you going?"

"To be with my brother," Sam said over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

Bobby watched as Sam headed down to the other bedroom and then slipped inside. By the time he got there, Sam was already starting to settle into the second bed and Dean had subconsciously turned on his side to face Sam in his sleep. Sam pulled the covers up and laid down looking at his brother's peaceful face and couldn't help but smile.

"Good night, Dean," he said softly and then closed his eyes.

Bobby gave a small smile and grabbed the door handle. "Sleep tight, boys." With that he shut the door and headed towards his own room.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The third time Dean moved, he actually began to wake up.

His mind slowly started to drift towards consciousness and he groaned inwardly at the thought and snuggled a little more into his covers.

He wasn't ready to get up yet.

The bed was comfy and the blankets warm, and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep. Lying there with his eyes closed, he listened to the quiet snore of his brother and smelled the scent of coffee drifting through the air.

_Mmmm, coffee. _

A frown crossed his face then as a thought crossed his mind. If Sam was still asleep, then where did the coffee come from? He slowly tried to pry his eyes open and could have sworn that Sam must have glued them shut because it was definitely a big chore at the moment. Finally cracking their crusty seal, he opened his eyes slightly and blinked at his surroundings in confusion.

For a moment, he couldn't figure out where they were which, if he thought about it, was nothing new. They moved around so much that it wasn't uncommon to go to sleep in one place and wake up in a totally different place. Especially, when they were kids and hunting with their Dad.

But this didn't look like any motel room he'd ever been in before.

Finally raising his head up to look around some more, he recognized that it was the room they usually slept in when they stayed with Bobby.

_When had they gotten here?_

Sam gave a rather large snore and mumbled something and Dean turned to see him shift around in his sleep and couldn't help but smile slightly. Sam was curled on his side with the blankets pulled up to his chin and his knees pulled up to his chest making him look smaller than he really was and Dean just shook his head.

He finally laid his head back down on the bed and just took stock of what he knew. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He still wasn't sure why they were at Bobby's or even where they'd been before that, but he did know that for the first time in what felt like ages, he felt…rested.

Suddenly a thought came to him that had him scrambling to remove his covers. As he moved, he pulled up short and grunted.

_Damn, why the hell am I so sore?_

Moving a little more cautiously but with the same determination he continued to get out of bed.

Sam frowned slightly in his sleep not sure why but felt that something was different. He could hear movement in the room and his eyes popped open to see what was going on and then squinted against the bright sun shining in.

Finally, getting his eyes adjusted he saw his brother struggling to stand up and started to go back to sleep thinking _Oh, Dean _but then he remembered and was suddenly awake. "Dean?"

Dean didn't answer him and Sam worried slightly that he might not be awake. "Dean," he said a little more quietly as he sat up slowly.

"Not now, Sammy," Dean said quickly as he shuffled towards the door. _God, he was stiff._

Sam almost jumped for joy. "You're awake? But-" He attempted to extricate himself from his bedding and almost fell flat. Finally getting his legs untangled by pulling his blanket off the bed he managed to get out of bed and blocked his brother's progress. "Wait, Dean, what happened? Do you know what happened?"

"What are you talking about?" Dean tried to side-step his brother but Sam moved with him.

"What am I…? Dude, you fell _asleep_."

"Yeah, so? It's not like you haven't fallen asleep. In fact, I think you were doing a pretty good job of it yourself. Why don't you get back to it?"

Dean tried to push Sam away, but Sam was having none of it. "No, wait."

Dean couldn't help but give an impatient huff and throw his hands up.

"You don't know what happened do you?" Sam said with a little awe in his voice.

"Sam, can't this wait? Now move."

"But-"

"Sam!" Dean shouted and Sam finally stopped. "If you don't move, I'm gonna pee all over you leg. Now…move."

Sam just blinked at him for a moment and then moved aside.

"Thank you," Dean said forcefully and continued towards the bathroom down the hall. "Go get something to eat, Sam. I'll be down in a while." With that he shut the door with a thunk leaving Sam just standing there staring at the worn wooden door.

"What in tar nation is going on up here?" Bobby called out as he headed up the stairs. When he saw Sam just standing there staring at the bathroom, he just stopped. He looked between the door and Sam a couple times not quite sure what to make of it all. "Sam?"

Sam just stood there not sure what to say. Finally, he decided on the truth. He threw his hands up in the air slightly and motioned towards the bathroom door slightly. "He woke up." He then turned to Bobby before giving a little huff of laughter.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After a loonnng shower and a good shave, Dean was finally starting to feel human again.

He still wasn't quite sure how he had gone that long without a shave the several days' growth itching like crazy before he shaved it off. Also the fading bruises across his hips and back were kind of a mystery but he wasn't too worried about it.

After throwing his dirty clothes in their bedroom not sure where his duffel was, he hustled down the steps smelling bacon and coffee wafting up towards him. His stomach gave a rather loud growl and he realized he was starving.

_Man, I hope Bobby made something good._

When he walked into the kitchen, all conversation stopped and Dean had the distinct sensation he was being stared at. "Morning," he said heading towards the coffee pot. Snagging a piece of bacon from the skillet, he munched on it as he poured himself some coffee.

Everything was still quiet as he put the pot back on the burned and he started to wonder what was up. He finally turned back to Bobby and Sam and they just sat there staring. "What?! I mean did I forget to put my pants on or something?"

Everyone was silent for a second and then finally Bobby spoke. "You feeling okay?"

Dean took a sip of coffee as he pondered where that question had come from. "I'm fine. Hungry as hell, but okay. So what's to eat?"

Bobby and Sam just exchanged a look. "You're sure?" Sam asked this time like he knew otherwise.

That sent a few flares up and Dean began to wonder. "Yeah. Why?"

Sam just looked at Bobby again for a moment before rolling his eyes in frustration. "Nothing," he grumbled going back to his research book as if it was nothing.

"You want some eggs?" Bobby asked and Dean couldn't help but feel left out of the loop.

"No, no, no…Wait!" both Sam and Bobby stopped to look at Dean. "You guys can't just ask a guy if he's feeling okay and then let it drop. So?"

Bobby and Sam just looked at him and Dean huffed out a frustrated sigh. "What happened? What'd I miss?" Because Dean _knew_ there had to be more if they were acting this way.

Bobby and Sam exchanged another look and Dean was _really_ starting to get tired of that.

"Will you guys just tell me already?" Dean practically yelled and then glared when Sam and Bobby started to smile.

Sam quickly tried to hide his smile at his brother's reaction and then cleared his throat. "What day is it?"

Dean's eyebrows drew together in confusion as he stared at Sam. "What day?"

Sam just nodded.

"Is this some kind of joke? Cause if this is. I swear-"

"Just…humor us," Bobby said coming to sit back at the table.

Dean still wasn't sure what to think of this but he could play. "It's Tuesday."

Sam had suspected as much, but hearing Dean say it still left him flabbergasted, "Uh…no. It's…Saturday."

"Sat-"

If it had been any other time, Sam and Bobby would have laughed at the play of emotions that went across Dean's face.

"No way."

Sam and Bobby just nodded.

"But-"

"Like I said before, Dean, you fell asleep."

Dean's mouth worked for a moment as he tried to wrap his mind around that thought. "But… How? What? I mean…" Dean struggled to make a coherent thought. _Saturday?_ How the hell had he lost _three_ days?

"I don't believe you," he finally managed totally baffled at this. "This is one of your practical jokes isn't it?" he said pointing an accusatory finger at Sam. "You get me to believe its Saturday and then laugh at me later."

Now it was Sam's turn to sit there slack-jawed. "Why-why would I do that?" When Dean just continued to glare at him he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Ok, fine, here check the paper?"

Sam held up the daily paper but Dean just batted it away. "You could've got one made," he said bitterly grasping at straws for an answer even as he looked at the date.

"Then…check my cell phone. There's no way I could've doctored that," Sam said incredulously holding out his phone for his brother.

Dean hesitantly took the phone and flipped it open to look at the date.

Saturday.

Dean just stared at it for the longest time trying to wrap his mind around the idea. "But…How-"

"We think it had something to do with Jeremy," Bobby interrupted handing one of the books they'd had sitting out on the table over to Dean. He waited until Dean took it and looked at it before continuing.

"We think that when you used the dream root to go into my dreams and then had Jeremy go into your dreams that it might have messed something up."

When Dean gave him a baffled look he just sighed and continued. "The plant used, the _celineas copensis_, can cause vivid dreams; and in Jeremy's case actually made him have dreams after his accident. The _theory_: Is that when Sam killed him in your dream it had kind of…a reverse reaction. Thus, you couldn't sleep."

Dean looked at the book recognizing the picture of the dream root from their research on the earlier case, but that still didn't explain why he'd been asleep for _three days._ "Okay, so I couldn't sleep. But then why did I sleep for almost _three days._ Hell, I didn't even know someone could sleep for that long." No wonder he'd been sore when he woke up.

Sam just shrugged. "You were exhausted. Between not getting any sleep while we were hunting Jeremy and then afterwards, your body just…shut down."

"Huh." _Okay. He got that. _"But why didn't it hit me until I came here?"

Sam and Bobby looked at each other again hesitantly. "Well…that's what we're not too sure about," Sam said. "It's _possible_ that one of the wards Bobby has up around the house to protect it from the supernatural acted like…a buffer. When you entered the house, you entered the wards protection and that broke the spell. And since you hadn't slept for almost a week…" Sam just shrugged as if the rest was obvious.

Dean just stared at him for a moment trying to picture what that would have looked like and boy did he hoped he didn't make a fool of himself when that happened. "So what does that mean for me? Is it going to come back once I leave here?"

"No, it _should_ be finished," Bobby said making Dean raise his eyebrows. _Should? _"Apparently, it takes several days for the dream root to leave your system. Kind of like...going through detox. But…you have to sleep to get rid of it."

"And that's why I was having such vivid dreams even after it was over," Sam supplied trying to defuse Dean's frustration with the whole thing.

"So this should be done then," Dean said after a long moment and Bobby and Sam both nodded in agreement. "Okay, then," Dean said finally relaxing a little. At least that's over with now.

"Of course," Bobby started and then cringed slightly at the glare he got from Dean. "We won't know for sure until you leave here."

"Of course," Dean said throwing his hands up in the air in frustration and clenched his jaw looking away from the other two and towards the kitchen window and the junk yard beyond shaking his head slightly.

This was just…great. Even when he wasn't trying, the supernatural found some way to screw with his life. As if he needed any _more_ help in that area being that it was already headed to Hell in a hand basket. But at least this wasn't as bad as some things that had happened before. At least it wouldn't affect, Sammy. And if the worst of it was that they would have to come back to Bobby's a little more frequently? He could live with that.

"Well, I guess we'll deal with that when the time comes," he finally said pushing away from the counter and heading towards the fridge. "So what's to eat? I feel like I could eat a horse."

Bobby and Sam just laughed and shook their heads. "At least we know that that's back to normal," Bobby said and got up to make some breakfast for the three of them shooing Dean away from the fridge and back towards the table.

Dean sat down at the table across from Sam and sipped at his coffee not sure what to say next. Just the simple fact that he wasn't sure how they'd even _got_ here made him wig out a little not to mention that he had no clue what had happened between the Jeremy hunt and waking up from his Rip Van Winkle act, but he wasn't about to let Sam or Bobby know that.

At least not right now.

Suddenly, a thought came to him and he paled slightly. "Uh, Sam….I didn't…do anything to the Impala did I?"

Sam just looked up at him and then to Bobby, who had turned to look at Dean with a slight smirk on his face. He then turned back to Dean feeling a smile tugging at his own lips at the slightly anxious look on his brother's face. "Uh, don't worry, Dean, I think she'll forgive you," he said sarcastically with a straight face.

Dean paled even more and hurriedly got up heading for the front door, Sam and Bobby both watching him go with big smiles on their faces.

As the front door slammed shut, they both burst out laughing. Yep, Dean was definitely back to normal.

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A/N: Well, there you go. The last chapter. Good, bad, so-so? Let me know by sending me a review. I always like to hear what you think. And 'til next time. Keep reading.


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